1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to accelerated particle irradiation equipment that includes an irradiation device such as a rotating gantry for radiation therapy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Equipment that performs a cancer treatment by irradiating a patient with accelerated particles such as a proton beam is known. This kind of equipment includes a cyclotron that generates accelerated particles, a rotatable irradiation device (rotating gantry) that irradiates a patient with accelerated particles in an arbitrary direction, and a guide line that guides the accelerated particles generated by the cyclotron to the irradiation device. The rotating gantry is provided with a treatment table on which a patient lies, an irradiation unit that irradiates the patient with accelerated particles, and an introduction line that introduces the accelerated particles guided by the guide line into the irradiation unit.
The irradiation unit is freely rotatable relative to the patient, and various types of introduction line that introduce accelerated particles into the irradiation unit are known. For example, as a first aspect, there is known an introduction line that includes a connection portion that is connected to a guide line on the rotation axis serving as a rotation center of an irradiation unit. The introduction line is curved in a substantially U shape on a plane passing through the rotation axis, and is connected to the irradiation unit. Further, as a second aspect, there is known an introduction line that includes a connection portion that is connected to a guide line on the rotation axis. The introduction line is curved so as to be twisted in the circumferential direction of the rotation axis, and is connected to an irradiation unit.